Street-car signal



J. C. HOPKINS.

STREET CAR SIGNAL. APPLICATION FILED JUEEJ Z. I919.

1,378,790. Patented May17, 1921.

. I Ki? tached thereto.

UNITED STATES PATENT-lorries.

JOHN C. HOPKINS, OF CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA.

STREET-CAR SIGNAL.

Specification of Le ttersPatentI Patented luay 17, 1921 Application filed dune 12, 1919. Serial No..303,596.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoHN. C. HOPKINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street-Car Signals; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to signal devices for cars and the like, the object of the invention being to provide street-cars and other conveyances to which the device is applicable, with means for warning those approaching, especially from the rear, that the car-brake has been set and the car is about to stop.

The nature of the invention is fully disclosed in the description and claim following, reference being had to the accompanyin drawing, in which Figure lis a conventional rear elevation of a street-car with my signaling device at- Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the semaphore apparatus, as seen from the inner side. Fig. '3 is a side elevaan opening 16 in the casing.

tion showing all the mechanism, the inclosure for the signal being in section, on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

In the drawing, the numeral 5 refers to the compressed-air cylinder with which street-cars are usualy provided, and 6 the piston-rod thereof connecting with the brakes, not shown. These are of the usual constructions, and call for no special de-- scription.

At some suitable place at or near the end of the car, and in the case of cars arranged 'to run in either direction, at each end, s

mounted a signaling device of a simple type, of which the following is a description.

In a suitable inclosing and protective casing 7 attached to the end of the car is pivoted a semaphore 8 ona stud 9. As herein illustrated the semaphore is provided with two disks 10 and 11, of respectively green and red. glass, set in a suitable frame 12 at the end of the arm 13. To the opposite arm 14 may be attached a signboard 15, which when drawn down to signaling position discloses a suitable warnin through he move:

ment of the semaphore is limited, by stops 1'7 and 18. Fig. 2 the green disk fronts a hole 19 111 the casing, and when the semaphore is shifted to warning osition, the red disk is in the same place. ehind the disks is mounted an electric lamp 20, the current for which may be supplied in any desired way, either from the trolley wires, or from a storage battery, neither of which are herein shown.

The semaphore is held in the clear position shown in Fig. 2 in part by the preponderating weight of its tail-piece 15 and in part by a light spring 21, the use of the spring being mainly to insure the restoration of the semaphore to the normal clear position, when the need of a warning is no longer present.

To the arm 14 is connected a cable 22, which passes under a sheave 23 and connects with a spring 24 stiff enough to shift the semaphore. The other end of the spring connects with another section of cable 25, and thisis connected to the end of an arm 26 clamped to the air-brake rod, and suitably secured against slippage, as by a setscrew 27. To give a corresponding movement to the semaphore at theother end of the car, a supplemental sheave 28 is provided, about which the cable 29 is led.

It willbe understood that the purpose of the spring 24 is to compensate for a rather wide variation in the distances which the brake-rod moves under different conditions. It is contemplated that the shortest stroke of the rod will actuate the semaphore through the limit of its movement, and beyond that the spring will yield.

It will be seen that the operation of the signal requires no conscious eifort on the part of the operator. In stopping or retarding the forward movement of thecar he invariably sets the brake, and this automatically sets the signal.

The device is designed for the safety of the car and its occupants, and also whatever may be approaching it from behind. It is a matter of experience that most street-car accidents are in the nature of rear end collisions, and due to the difiiculty of determining the exact distance of the car ahead, if at night, and whether or not it will stop more or less suddenly, by day or night. In the apparatus described, the red and green I'Vhen in the position shown m Having thus described my invention, I

claim: A

A signal of the character described comprising an elongated casing having a longitudinally disposed slot formed in one side Wall oi the casing, and an openlng spaced from the slot but 111 alniement therewith, an

arm pivoted Within the casing at a point I between its ends 'iOr vertlcal movement, a

semaphore carried by one end of the arm,

upper and lower disks carried by the opposite end of the arm, said disks being of diflerent color and adapted to be moved singly to a position behind said opening, a lamp Within the casing, means 1 011101- mally holding the semaphore above the slot and one disk arranged behind said opening, and means for-actuating said arm to bring the semaphore and the other disk behind the said slot and opening respectively for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN C. HOPKINS. WVitnesses:

F. W. ARMSTRONG,

J. M; ST. JOHN. 

